These are lean times for the shooting guard position in the NBA. Kobe Bryant, Manu Ginobili and Dwyane Wade, the standard-bearers of the position for the last 10 years and more, are pushing into their 30s, and other than James Harden, there are no versatile, all-around guards that are just now stepping into stardom. The position has become one of specialization, either elite 3-point shooters like Kevin Martin or quick-scoring, volume-shooting sixth men like Jamal Crawford.

There is some hope for the future of the position, of course. It may be that recent draft picks like Bradley Beal, Ben McLemore and Dion Waiters elevate the shooting guard spot back to its former glory, but for now, ranking the players at the position yields a very top-heavy list.

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1

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James Harden, Rockets

Numbers: 25.9 points, 5.8 assists, 4.9 rebounds.

Harden was disappointed that the Thunder did not re-sign him last summer, but arriving in Houston allowed him to become a star player, hoisting 17.1 shots per game, double the 8.6 shots he had taken in three years in Oklahoma City.

An excellent ballhandler and arguably the best pick-and-roll guard in the game, Harden is a great example of the hybridization of the guard position—just as many players who are nominally point guards play like shooting guards, Harden is a shooting guard who sometimes plays like a point guard.

2

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Kobe Bryant, Lakers

Numbers: 27.3 points, 6.0 assists, 5.6 rebounds.

Bryant’s prickly personality might have been one cause for the disintegration of the Dwight Howard experiment in LA, but whatever happened off the court, there is no question that Bryant put forth a valiant effort on the court, rallying the woebegone Lakers into the playoffs before tearing his Achilles tendon.

That injury, combined with the ascent of Harden, is the only reason that Bryant is not in his customary top spot on this list.

3

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Dwyane Wade, Heat

Numbers: 21.2 points, 5.1 assists, 5.0 rebounds.

Wade will turn 32 in January, and in last year’s postseason, there were moments at which he showed that the wear-and-tear of the season had caught up to him—he averaged 15.9 points and shot 45.7 percent from the field.

During the regular season, though, Wade was effective as ever, shooting a career-high 52.1 percent thanks to his unique ability to finish when attacking the basket (he shot 71.3 percent at the rim). Miami coach Erik Spoelstra has been cutting back Wade’s minutes in the last two seasons to keep him ready for the postseason, and that will continue this year.

4

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Tyreke Evans, Pelicans

Numbers: 15.2 points, 3.5 assists, 4.4 rebounds.

Evans has had a hard time figuring out a position in the NBA, but it looks like shooting guard will be his lot. He is not a good shooter, but he did manage 33.8 percent from the 3-point line, which was up from 20.2 percent the previous season. He also shot 47.8 percent from the field overall, a testament to the strength of his game—getting the ball to the rim, where he attempts nearly half his shots, making 64.1 percent of them.

It will be interesting to see how the Pelicans deploy Evans with Eric Gordon and Jrue Holiday, but if his perimeter improvement continues, that will make the transition that much easier.

5

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Kevin Martin, Timberwolves

Numbers: 14.0 points, 1.4 assists, 2.3 rebounds.

Playing with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, Martin’s role was refined to that of a pure shooter, and he excelled. He shot 45.0 percent from the field, but made 42.6 percent of his 3s and 89.0 percent of his free-throws.

He does little else, but again, that appears to be the state of the modern shooting guard. Martin probably will have a bigger role in Minnesota, but the Timberwolves just need him to keep making 3s.

6

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Klay Thompson, Warriors

Numbers: 16.6 points, 2.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds.

Thompson checks in this high because he has an unquestioned skill: He is a deadeye perimeter shooter, making 40.1 percent of his 3s. He will need to add more to his offensive repertoire, but when the baseline is shooting of that quality, he is off to a good start.

Thompson struggles putting the ball on the floor (though that did improve last year) and he did try to attack the basket more last year, but not necessarily with great results—his shooting percentage at the rim dropped from 70.0 percent to 59.4 percent.

7

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Joe Johnson, Nets

Numbers: 16.3 points, 3.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds.

That Johnson rates so highly says more about the state of shooting guards in the current NBA than it does about Johnson’s performance. He did not adjust well to playing alongside Deron Williams last year, and he will have further adjustments to make this year when Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett arrive.

Johnson is accustomed to creating his own shots, but he is a good perimeter shooter (37.5 percent from the 3-point line last year) and if he can rein in his game to become a more traditional shooting guard—one who does not need to pound the ball so much—he could regain his value.

8

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J.R. Smith, Knicks

Numbers: 18.1 points, 2.7 assists, 5.3 rebounds.

With Amare Stoudemire out for much of the year, the Knicks badly needed a complementary scorer for Carmelo Anthony, and Smith filled the void. He is still widely noted for the boneheaded shots he frequently hoists, but given the Knicks’ record-setting barrage of 3-pointers, those mistakes were more forgivable.

His shooting percentages—42.2 percent, 35.6 percent from the 3-point line, 76.2 percent from the free-throw line—were nothing special, but his ability to score in bunches made him vital to the Knicks’ success.

9

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Manu Ginobili, Spurs

Numbers: 11.8 points, 4.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds.

Ginobili is 36 and his playoff struggles were well-documented. But he is still a crafty player on both sides of the floor, able to get into the paint and collapse a defense on the offensive end and sneak into passing lanes on the defensive end.

He also remains a good playmaker who allows Tony Parker to play off the ball. His numbers are sagging, and injuries have mounted over the last two seasons, but Giniobili is still effective.

10

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Jamal Crawford, Clippers

Numbers: 16.5 points, 2.5 assists, 1.7 rebounds.

Crawford is 33 but continues to be an effective scorer off the bench. He bounced back from a terrible shooting performance in the lockout year to bring his percentages up to 43.8 from the field and 37.6 from the 3-point line.

Given his age and the arrival of Jared Dudley and J.J. Redick in LA, Crawford could be due for a drop-off in scoring, but he is still a guy who can put up points.

11

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Monta Ellis, Mavericks

Numbers: 19.2 points, 6.0 assists, 3.9 rebounds.

High volume, low efficiency—guys like Ellis have a hard time finding their place in the league these days.

But what was particularly distressing about Ellis last year was that he was as inefficient as he has ever been, shooting 41.6 percent from the field, worst since his rookie year, and making only 28.7 percent of his 3s. Playing alongside Dirk Nowitzki, Ellis is looking for a bounce-back year.

12

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Eric Gordon, Pelicans

Gordon has missed 97 of the potential 148 games he could have played in New Orleans the last two years, and if not for that fact he would easily rank among the best shooting guards in the league.

As it stands, his inability to stay healthy has been a huge problem for the Pelicans, and when he did play last season, he shot just 40.2 percent from the field and 32.4 percent from the 3-point line. In three years with the Clippers, Gordon never shot below 44.9 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from the 3-point line. Gordon has not seemed very interested in playing for New Orleans, and that needs to change.

13

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Lou Williams, Hawks

Numbers: 14.1 points, 3.6 assists, 2.1 rebounds.

Williams never really got his footing in his first season in Atlanta, and wound up having his year cut short by a knee injury.

He should be ready for opening night, and the Hawks are hoping he will be more comfortable this time around. Atlanta is desperate for perimeter help, and a healthy Williams will go a long way toward filling that void.

14

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Eric Bledsoe, Suns

Numbers: 8.5 points, 3.1 assists, 3.0 rebounds.

At long last, Bledsoe has been freed. His numbers from last year might look paltry, but considering he played only 20.4 minutes per game, the stats don’t tell the whole story. Bledsoe is an outstanding athlete who has tremendous potential, and though he might be a more natural point guard, he will play 2-guard next to Goran Dragic.

He is going to make mistakes—that was one reason the Clippers were so tight with his minutes—but he is going to make jaw-dropping plays on a nightly basis. The key will be for the Suns to nudge him into becoming consistent and reliable.

15

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Gerald Henderson, Bobcats

Numbers: 15.5 points, 2.6 assists, 3.7 rebounds.

Henderson has established himself as a very good midrange shooter, and he was the Bobcats’ second-leading scorer last season. The problem is, teams don’t exactly want a guard whose specialty is the 16-footer. He needs to diversify, and he did begin attacking the basket more often last year, earning 4.6 trips to the free-throw line, where he made 82.4 percent of his attempts.

The next step will have to be a 3-point shot. Last year, he only attempted 100 3s and made 33.0 percent of them, which sounds pretty bad. Considering that he attempted just 102 in the first three years of his career—and made only 21.6 percent—that counts as progress.